Press Room -- Dickson Mounds Museum, Lewistown

Press Releases

Press Information -- ISM Dickson Mounds Museum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 15, 2016

CONTACT: Chris Young (217) 557-1240 chris.young@illinois.gov

Illinois State Museum to Welcome Visitors on July 2

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois State Museum in Springfield will reopen to the public on July 2 after the Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) approved a request by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to charge an admission fee. The museum will once again welcome visitors from across the state to learn about the history, people, land, art and culture of Illinois.

“We are excited to welcome the public back to the Illinois State Museum,” said IDNR Director Wayne Rosenthal. “The Illinois State Museum is the best place in Illinois for families from around the state and around the world to explore the rich history of our state.”This week, JCAR approved a rule authorizing the IDNR to establish an adult admission fee of $5.00 for the museum’s main campus in Springfield. Children age 18 and under, seniors and veterans will be admitted free. The admission fee is part of a greater effort to diversify the sources of funding for the museum.

The Illinois State Museum in Springfield, the ISM Dickson Mounds Museum in Fulton Co., and the ISM Research and Collections Center in Springfield will officially reopen on July 2.

Special activities are planned and unique artifacts from the museum’s collections will be on display at the museum, located in the State Capitol Complex in Springfield. Additional special events will be held at the museum on select weekends during the summer.

The IDNR continues to work with stakeholders in communities where other Illinois State Museum branches are located in hopes of securing partnerships that would allow those branches to open.

Check back regularly for updates or e-mail dnr.pio@illinois.gov. Thank you for your support.

The Dickson Mounds Museum, a branch of the Illinois State Museum and a National Historic Site, is one of the major on-site archaeological museums in the United States. It offers a unique opportunity to explore the world of the American Indian in an awe inspiring journey through 12,000 years of human experience in the Illinois River Valley.

Visitors to the museum, in west-central Illinois, encounter innovative interpretive exhibits; exciting hands-on activities; archaeological sites; and a variety of special events in a rural setting.

The museum is open year-round, daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas). There is no admission charge.

60 Miles northwest of Springfield, Routes 78 and 97 Location on MapQuest.

Visitor Information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 15, 2016

CONTACT: Chris Young (217) 557-1240 chris.young@illinois.gov

Illinois State Museum to Welcome Visitors on July 2

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois State Museum in Springfield will reopen to the public on July 2 after the Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) approved a request by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to charge an admission fee. The museum will once again welcome visitors from across the state to learn about the history, people, land, art and culture of Illinois.

“We are excited to welcome the public back to the Illinois State Museum,” said IDNR Director Wayne Rosenthal. “The Illinois State Museum is the best place in Illinois for families from around the state and around the world to explore the rich history of our state.”This week, JCAR approved a rule authorizing the IDNR to establish an adult admission fee of $5.00 for the museum’s main campus in Springfield. Children age 18 and under, seniors and veterans will be admitted free. The admission fee is part of a greater effort to diversify the sources of funding for the museum.

The Illinois State Museum in Springfield, the ISM Dickson Mounds Museum in Fulton Co., and the ISM Research and Collections Center in Springfield will officially reopen on July 2.

Special activities are planned and unique artifacts from the museum’s collections will be on display at the museum, located in the State Capitol Complex in Springfield. Additional special events will be held at the museum on select weekends during the summer.

The IDNR continues to work with stakeholders in communities where other Illinois State Museum branches are located in hopes of securing partnerships that would allow those branches to open.

Check back regularly for updates or e-mail dnr.pio@illinois.gov. Thank you for your support.